Two Wheeled Wanderlust

[GeorgiaRoller]

Wanderlust: a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.

Guilty as charged.

What occurred to me recently is this...I'm a very pragmatic, usually play it safe, planning type. I've also always had a very structured & predictable work & life schedule/routine. For the past 15yrs for instance I've gotten up at 6am, at the office by 8am, work out for 45 minutes on my lunch break, office closes at 5pm and I'm home by 6pm. Everyday for the past 15yrs. I have a "Job" not a "Career". They are two very different things. I have a good job, pays the bills, provides for my family...etc...but it is just a "job" none-the-less. But it's not what I live for. My hours never change, no floating or rotating schedules, no OT (I'm salaried) and we're simply not open on the weekends. The pro's are I have a very dependable & predictable schedule with no juggling. I have every weekend off and I can plan easily. The Con's are well...it's predictable, controlled and unchanging.

Predictable, controlled and very structured...while it makes me a reliable & contributing member of society...it leaves little to the imagination or what scraps of creativity might be hiding in the deepest shadows of my somewhat lifeless corpse at times.

Enter Wanderlust. I think when you live or have lived life somewhat how I have for so many years most eventually get a burning desire to just simply do something else. In fact to do the exact opposite of what you normally do. Sit in front of a computer 40hrs a week at the office, then on the weekend skydive naked and insist people refer to you as "The Maestro".

Last Friday was one such day for me...minus the naked skydiving and silly weekend persona. But I do have a motorcycle. I fired that inline 4cyl ******* up and rode. I told myself, don't plan, don't come up with a route, just get on the damn thing and see where it takes you, be spontaneous for the love of all that's holy! And so I did.

I rode, I headed north, I knew not what destination lay in front of me. It didn't matter. I wasn't in the office, I was riding. I passed rivers and lakes and mountain tops and other two wheeled brethren who insisted on acknowledging my existence with a secret two finger downward salute. They weren't in the office either on a Friday. We were kindred spirits. And by the looks of many of my leather clad brothers on powerful V-Twins, the only office's they've ever stepped into before where to plead Nolo Contendere for various misc charges. But we were brothers none-the-less.

But as I type this top of mind here on a rainy Sunday morning a new thought pops into my head.

****!!! I GOT TO GO TO WORK TOMORROW!!!

They say all good things must come to an end. But on Friday...Friday was two-wheeled poetry in motion.

 

[AlleyCat]

Nice !! I can relate.... the motorcycle is like a therapeutic break from the 'other' life we have. So nice to just get away from the routine and just focus on living in the moment. Nice shots by the way.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Yeah, whatever. Now get your lazy ass back to work.

Seriously glad you are enjoying your FJR and taking advantage of the wonderful riding opportunities in your state. Please keep posting.

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Nice !! I can relate.... the motorcycle is like a therapeutic break from the 'other' life we have. So nice to just get away from the routine and just focus on living in the moment. Nice shots by the way.

Agreed. Riding has always been that way for me. That's the whole reason I started riding motorcycles really. And this whole "living in the moment" thing is a real good thing!

In fact I had a really good ride with my youngest today. He's 12. He really seems to enjoy similar things as me like the outdoors, hiking, looking at wildlife and riding. Prob in the next couple of years that will stop so I feel I need to get some more rides in with him this year. I took him out for the afternoon and rode over to Warm Springs, GA. It was sunny & in the 60's but was really windy. We stopped here in the town of Pine Mountain, GA first for lunch at this newer Cafe in town I spied the other week.

Here are some Cell Phone pix.

The inside of the Cafe was a throw back to olden times with the soda fountain bar. We ate a couple of Cuban sandwiches and he had the old 8oz "glass" bottle of Coke.

After lunch (we also had ice cream) we rode over to a lake and sat in the sun to warm up. We just sat and talked for 10-15 minutes and enjoyed the weather & views.

We rode on down the road & along the ridge and stopped & saw a cowboy & his wife enjoying the afternoon on horseback.

We left here and headed farther down the ridge and stopped at Dowdell's Knob overlook which is the spot FDR frequented way back when on many occasions.

My son posing with ole FDR...even though the sun was in his eyes. lol

But he wanted to show me this car parked at the overlook...which he loved!!!

We were standing here looking out and from the South came (3) Apache helicopters flying in formation. It was pretty cool to see. They flew ride in front of us and over the ridge and out of sight. I didn't think fast enough to take a picture of them however.

We jumped back on the bike and hit some nice sections with curves. My son really likes these!

We finally ended up in Warm Springs and on the backside of main street is a little biker's alley called "Lil Sturgis". There is a biker clothing store, a motorcycle museum, BBQ place and a outside biker bar with live music. We parked in front of the store and walked around to check out all the bikes. There were prob 50+ bikes parked here.

After checking out all the bikes and walking around town we hit the road again. Had a nice return trip home on country 2 lane roads and leaned in the curves when we came upon some and then just took in the scenery and cruised at other times.

We ended the afternoon back home and I fired up the grill, cracked a McUltra and cooked some cow.

The wife came home with her daughters and after dinner we sat and chilled on the porch swing overlooking our backyard. Simple, easy, pleasures. It was a good day.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Wow. I cut the grass.

Good stuff. I am going to be forced to fight with Mrs. Redfish very soon over the boy riding on the bike with me. Our son is 10 and his Mom is not a fan of the motorcycle. I wonder what opportunities would open if the boy and I could ride the bike together.

 

[majicmaker]

Plenty opportunities, Redfish. Do it!

Outstanding RR, GR.

 

[Hudson]

Burgers and soda: $22.00

Gas fill up: $21.00

Hanging out all day riding with your boy: Priceless.

 

[SacramentoMike]

Good RR, good day with your boy and your bike. (I recently realized if a bicycle is a bike, a motorcycle should be a "Mike." Mine now is, but that's not the point.)

So I'm a little like you, and a little bit the opposite. Older, for one, and going on 8 years retired, so lots of time to ride my Mike. And I've been all over the west on it (and a couple of its brothers), but with precious little planning or structure. But the wanderlust still comes up. A lot.

Being older, you begin to wonder how long this can all go on, and each summer gets a little more precious. My wife wants to see my old stamping grounds in upstate New York this September, visit some family and all, and I'm looking at it as maybe one of the few chances I'll be getting for that big bucket list check off, the cross-country FJR ride. Thinking of leaving a week or so ahead and just meeting up for the home town tour and then head back via the southeast and then across, seeing parts of the country I've never seen, like yours, and on the way back drop in on my little boy in college in Flagstaff. You really never get past enjoying spending time with them.

So it's not in the bag yet, but it's what I think about every night after my head hits the pillow. It's as close to planning as I do.

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Wow. I cut the grass.

Good stuff. I am going to be forced to fight with Mrs. Redfish very soon over the boy riding on the bike with me. Our son is 10 and his Mom is not a fan of the motorcycle. I wonder what opportunities would open if the boy and I could ride the bike together.

I hope you can get him on the motorcycle with you. Obviously for me and any other father when your child is on the bike with you safety is your number one concern. My goals is for him to have a good time and for me to get us home without incident. But you know life can't really be lived to it's fullest without "some" risk. My 15 yr old son is on the HS Varsity soccer team and his own goalkeeper plowed into the back of his left knee last week. He's been hobbling ever since with a brace on his knee and swollen/bruised tendons. My point is you can get hurt doing just about ANYTHING. But that shouldn't stop any of us from living or letting our kids live. All we can do is take as many precautions as possible but we can just sit home on the coach our whole lives where it's safe. lol

Plenty opportunities, Redfish. Do it!

Just start out will a simple 30 min ride to get the boy (and mom) comfortable and then go from there RF.

Hanging out all day riding with your boy: Priceless.

Yes...that's really the point isn't it. I agree.

Being older, you begin to wonder how long this can all go on, and each summer gets a little more precious. My wife wants to see my old stamping grounds in upstate New York this September, visit some family and all, and I'm looking at it as maybe one of the few chances I'll be getting for that big bucket list check off, the cross-country FJR ride. Thinking of leaving a week or so ahead and just meeting up for the home town tour and then head back via the southeast and then across, seeing parts of the country I've never seen, like yours, and on the way back drop in on my little boy in college in Flagstaff. You really never get past enjoying spending time with them.
So it's not in the bag yet, but it's what I think about every night after my head hits the pillow. It's as close to planning as I do.

Sound like a good plan. I hope you get over to the east coast and get to do this ride. Even though you might be old enough to be my father, lol, we're all really not that much different. Age is just a number and all our days are numbered, so ultimately we're all in the same boat anyways. Whether you believe in another life after death or not the reality is life on this planet is a gift and it doesn't last forever which should make all of us live it to the fullest without regrets. It also helps to have a sense of humor about it.

I've always loved Mark Twain. The man was a genius and he cut through all of the BS and just kept it real as it were. Plus you couldn't help but crack a smile when he commented on life. He once said....

“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.” - Mark Twain

Being spontaneous and just taking each day as it comes is a really good way to go most of the time.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Another great report and pics...thanks for sharing.

 

[beemerdons]

Burgers and soda: $22.00

Gas fill up: $21.00

Hanging out all day riding with your boy: Priceless.

+1, Gunny; a very nice ride report and great photographs GeorgiaRoller, Thank You! The last 17 years riding with my Son Seth have meant the world to me, started out with Seth in a Harley-Davidson sidecar rig at age one and at age ten he moved to the FJR! Memories a Dad will treasure forever, your wonderful Father and Son Motorcycling photograph will live on in your Mind's Eye Forever! JSNS!

 

[Fred W]

Guys... Enjoy these times with your sons. Kids at that age are right at the point where they are making some important choices in their lives that will indelibly effect their future. Yeah, they may find other interests and wander away, but my experience was that if you show them the really cool things to do, you know the things that makes your heart race, and motorcycling is definitely a big one of those, they will enjoy them immensely too, and maybe are less likely to disengage.

I often encourage street riding fathers with early teenage sons to spend the money to take them dirt biking. It's a freaking blast for both father and son, some of the best possible bonding time you'll ever have, and he'll be learning a lot of valuable motorcycle skills that transfer directly to street riding later on, but without the complication of having inept cage drivers hell bent to take you out. It's actually a great thing even for experienced on-road riders as you can practice bike handling situations that are difficult to recreate safely on-road. And did I mention it is a blast?

A couple of used dirt bikes, a used trailer, and some appropriate off road riding gear and you are in business. The used bikes will probably require some wrenching to "get them right" which should be more quality time spent together. And when it's time to move on, if that ever happens, you can get almost what you paid for the used stuff, sometimes more.

 

[ZOOOMM AGAIN]

Thanks for sharing GR. Very nice pics and thoughts. We all need to keep in mind that this whole thing is a gift. To advantage of the things we've been given and enjoy each and everyday (especially the simply things).

 

[Sharif]

Completely awesome - time with the kids is just irreplaceable. I was working last night when it hit me - I literally ran to the parking lot to get home in time to read a bedtime story to the kids. Not sure who enjoyed it more.

 

[dcarver]

Simple, easy, pleasures. It was a good day.

The fact you get it means you got it.

 

[Bugnatr]

Good stuff GR. Thanks!

 

[crumpadump]

Great ride report Roller! Couldn't wait to read it and see some great pictures again, it's like reading an article out of Road Runner Mag.

SacramentoMike think about it, telling people you like riding your "Mike" might give people the wrong idea "Not that there's anything wrong with that" (a reference from a Seinfeld episode)

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

This week's episode of T.W.W. has my lovely wife StreetBetty joining me on a wonderful day ride together. I wanted to do something different, ride some new roads, visit new area's, new sights, maybe a few new POI. So I found a state park in the middle of nowhere that I've never heard of before. It has an old Gristmill which I always find cool & interesting. Old barns, covered bridges, grist mills, rusted out old classic cars....anything like that with some history to it is of interest to me.

So I plotted a custom route on my Zumo 660 and incorporated as many new roads as possible. But I also wanted flexibility to change it on the fly if something caught my eye, if I saw a sign for something else or whatever. I figured I'd at least have 1 or 2 POI to ride to and then I'd just wing it and see how the day unfolded on the bike. I wanted 2 lane country backroads going through old towns with some old Antebellum structures and just do an Old South style relaxing day ride. So that's what we did.

Spring has exploded here and the purple Wisteria is draped on all the tree's. We stopped here at High Falls first @ around 8am.

After a nice walk by the falls we headed east for breakfast. We got a great cappuccino in Milledgeville at the Blackbird Coffee house along with a breakfast sammich & a shared cinnamon roll. Along the way we ran into this gang.

As well as just a bunch of misc. stuff that caught my eye as we rode. I had a photography itch that need to be scratched, but the best part was just not being on any kind of schedule and spending the day on the bike with my wife!

We got to my actual point of interest spot which is Hamburg State Park and the grist mill. It was pretty cool!

After taking out time and enjoying the mill and talking to a couple folks fishing we got on the bike and rode into the park and found a quiet spot for our new favorite thing to do....nothing.

After a good 30-45 minutes of just listening to the birds, sitting by the lake and feeling the warm breeze we decided we better saddle up again and start looping this trip back towards home. And on one of the new roads I've never been down before we got another bonus. We passed this other grist mill that is 207 years old but still standing...yes I had to stop to check it out.

And since the weather was so nice by the time we got home it was dinner time. So the grill got fired up again, the T-Bones were cooked and I grilled the corn on the cob as well. And once again we finished the day sitting on the porch swing. And nature gave us one last hurrah for the day...it was a good one.

Ride more, stress less & live life!....life is best lived offline...not online.

 

[Fred W]

I guess that's called, just "milling around", huh?

Nice photos as usual, GR.

(See, I am opinionated!

)